- citizen
- Political Culture
- Political Equality
- Popular Sovereignty
- Social Contract Theory
- Federalism
- Unitary government
- elastic clause
- Supremacy Clause
- concurrent powers
- Dual Federalism
- cooperative federalism
- new federalism
- public opinion
- halo effect
- Salient issues
- Voter turnout
- Free Exercise Clause
- Freedom of Religion
- The clear and present danger doctrine
- Slander and libel
- Privacy rights
- eminent domain
- writ of habeas corpus
- the exclusionary rule
- Civil War Amendments
- de jure
- de facto
- “Strict scrutiny” test.
Short Answers
1)
Thomas Hobbes was influenced greatly by the English Civil War chaos. He wrote the Leviathan. John Locke disregarded the importance of the survival of mankind; denied that kings had a divine right to govern, stating that individuals were born equal. Hobbes favored a monarchy, necessary in restraining the bestial nature of man. Locke thought that the government’s top priority should be protection of private property. Hobbes thought that the government had to take control of people’s rights and freedoms through intrusion. Locke believed that the government should derive consent from the people. While Hobbes advocated for a single ruler even an evil one, Locke believed in a leader who was under the law. Locke’s writing was the most influential.
2)
In equality of opportunities, everyone is given the opportunity to be the best they can be, while in equality of results, people get an equal share of material rewards and income. These views on equality are extremely different and their implications are wide-reaching. Equality of opportunities is the doctrine that is favored in America because it is realistic and it rewards an individual commensurate with their efforts. This means, for example, that if two people have the same opportunities to invest in the stock exchange, the more prudent and hardworking of the two individuals is likely to prosper. This is because the two are provided with the same environment and opportunities rather than the same outcome. This is what is favored by the current political culture in America. In an equality of results system, two people would get the same result regardless of differences in their effort. This may mean that two individuals would get the same income even though one of them may have exerted more effort. This system is not allowed by the current political culture in America.
3)
The lemon test holds that to be constitutional, a particular law must serve a secu8lar purpose. Its impact must not advance or inhibit religion. Such a law must not favor too much linkage between government and religion.
4)
In Plessy v Ferguson, state laws which required segregation were rendered constitutional only if “separate but equal” facilities were available for African Americans. In Brown v. Board of Education, it was declared that segregation, when included in law, was injurious to the learning motivation and ability of African American children. This ruling overturned the previous PLessy v. Ferguson, stating that “separate but equal” was an invalid condition because facilities of white Americans and African Americans were inherently unequal. This means that a law favoring segregation could never be enforced because it was based on a condition which could not exist. This ruling effectively ended segregation in America.
